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Every week, I search through movie release schedules to find movie rentals that I would have otherwise missed for lack of TV advertising. I watch the big name releases along with everyone else, but I know from experience that sometimes the box office failures, the critically panned, the straight-to-DVD, and the independently financed movies that nobody's heard of can offer some hidden gems. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. This column is dedicated to bringing awareness to those potential treasures. Each movie listed includes notable cast members, a basic plot summary, its DVD and/or cloud release date (based on Netflix - other services may have the movie earlier), and the basic reason why the movie caught my attention. With any luck, one or more of these will catch your attention, too.

Here's my watchlist of DVD and cloud releases for the month of December 2013:

Currently Available (click the movie title to see the trailer)

2 Guns
Who: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, James Marsden, Bill Paxton, Patrick Fischler, Edward James Olmos
What: An action thriller based on the graphic novel series by Steven Grant. Washington and Wahlberg both play undercover federal officers, unknown to each other, who are both working on a cocaine and money laundering case. Corrupted and betrayed by their bosses, they team up to take down their enemies.
When: December 17th - DVD
Why: At first it would seem surprising that this movie wouldn't do so well at the box office after Washington was coming off the success of Flight. Noting, though, that director Baltasar Kormakur and Wahlberg previously worked together for Contraband last year, my expectations are lowered. Still, Washington and Wahlberg in a straight up action thriller seems like a decent way to pass the time.

Adore
Who: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frecheville
What: A sensual drama based on the novella by Doris Lessing ("The Grandmothers"). Two life-long friends, each with a handsome son. While together at an ocean-front house, Watts' son has an affair with Wright, which leads her son to have an affair with Watts. Hurt feelings are inevitable.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This is the kind of titillating movie that cleverly draws you in only to make you feel uncomfortable. There are all sorts of bro- and BFF codes being broken here. But taboo voyeurism has a strong pull, and you can do worse than spend time watching a pair of excellent actresses like Watts and Wright chew up the drama. Xavier Samuel was creepy good in Plush and probably familiar to viewers of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, in which he played Riley Biers. Frecheville played one of the crime family members in Animal Kingdom.

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